Love, Trust and Magic
by Laughingg-Cow
Summary: Annie is an ordinary girl with an ordinary life until she makes the mistake of wandering into a bar that she isn't supposed to know about. Thrown into the worls of magic and war, will Annie fall apart or will a certain twin help her pull through.
1. Chapter 1

_**I have started writing this story again because i wasn't pleased with it. I am sorry if its rubbish!**_

_**I am only going to say this once ... Anything you recognize in the **__**entire**__** story is not mine.**_

_**The story is set at the same time as The Half Blood Prince (My favourite book)!**_

_**Please review!**_

Annabelle Marcus was walking down a busy London street, her curly blonde hair falling past her shoulders and her striking green eyes scanning the shop windows. She really shouldn't have left all her Christmas shopping till the last minute but she simply forgot how hard it was picking out the perfect gift. The streets where dripping with multicoloured lights and shop windows looked like the perfect winter wonderland, each one more magical than the last. Annie shivered as she dragged herself towards the next row of shops, her red jumper and jeans didn't really keep the cold out and her fur lined boots where starting to get soggy. Sighing to herself as she left another shop without buying her mother or her father a gift, but carrying a brand new tan jacket for herself, she muttered under her breathe.

"Next year I will start shopping in October."

Hurrying down the snow covered street, she had no idea what she was actually looking for and wondered if she could get her older sister to add her name to whatever gift she had bought, which was bound to be better than anything Annie herself picked out. Her sister was perfect from the roots of her straight blonde hair to the tips of her designer shoe clad toes, she worked hard to be perfect and Annie just couldn't be bothered to work hard at all. The biting cold attacked her face as she excited yet another shop and she decided that if she couldn't find anything in the soon she would simply go home and use the internet, like she should have done in the first place. Pushing past a herd of last minute shoppers she nearly slipped in the snow, she was forever slipping and falling into things, it was just her clumsy nature. Continuing down the cold street she walked past a Santa's Grotto, smiling slightly at all the excited faces and gazing at the twinkling lights. She could remember a lot of memories of Grottos not so different from this, being pulled along by her excited older sister who adored sitting on Santa's lap and listing of in full detail what she wanted for Christmas. Her mother would practically run to keep up with the two of them a worried expression on her kind face and her father would just smile and watch his daughters proudly as they spoke in a polite manner to everybody and where often the only ones brave enough to have a lengthy discussion with Father Christmas himself. Annie was brought abruptly back to the present when a young boy with a pinched face ran into her,

"Sorry miss! We are off to see Santa!" He breathed with a face shining with excitement. She laughed quietly as he started to run again closely followed by a worried mother and a smiling father. She wouldn't mind going to see Santa herself, Christmas was her favourite time of year and she simply adored the whole thing. But of course eighteen was much too old to be rushing around after short people in green hats and a large man with a beard. Sighing wistfully as she walked past the sounds of laughter she decided to get the presents then get home as soon as possible, there was bound to be a Christmas film she could watch. A likely shop caught her eye, it smelled of vanilla and all different spices; it was selling candles of every shape and size which was the perfect gift for her candle obsessed mother. Pulling her purple hat more securely around her frozen ears she made her way over to it, just as she got to the door the manager put the closed sign up. Stamping her fluffy boot clad foot she gave a frustrated scream before heading toward the station, giving up after five hours of looking. Five hours!

Annie was always leaving things to the last minute, not that she meant it, she simply lost track of time. Especially at Christmas when there was so many better things to be doing instead of being pushed around by agitated shoppers, being constantly under attack from the many different bags people would throw around and also getting a near headache from the neon coloured decorations that managers think will entice people into their shop. Last time she checked the Christmas colours where red, green and silver maybe she missed the news the day they announced bright luminous yellow, pink and orange where declared festive and not nauseating. Just as she walked towards the station a group of girls wearing different coloured tutus walked past her, shrieking at giggling. Tutus! Was she the only person who could see the snow on the ground and feel her face going bright red with the cold? Clearly these girls didn't, they were like a walking parade, loud and bright, like a firework, you can see it and hear it from a mile away. Suddenly realising how depressing these thoughts had been and how much they had brought down her already cloudy mood Annie shook herself mentally and tried to cheer herself up by thinking about the two days left before Christmas Eve.

But as she walked carefully up the icy pavement she saw a familiar face that made her freeze. Short brown hair and big blue eyes, there was no mistaking Blair Cowlings, the stupid guy had been stalking her after all. They had dated but Annie had no patientence for possessiveness and jealousy so she ended it fairly quickly, though it took some time for him to get the message. He had tried to sneak away her phone so he could read the messages and then shouted about her cheating on him with some guy called Steven.

"You told him you loved him!" He had shouted making everyone in the crowded school hall turn and stare at them, ears straining for the next juicy piece of gossip. Maybe Annie apologising and bursting into tears or Blair storming out of school to find the mysterious Steven? Unfortunately Annie had flushed with anger and grabbed her phone from his hand.

"Steven is my cousin you idiot! He stays in America and I only see him ever two years!"

Turning away and storming out the school by herself, she had been sure the message was clear but it obviously wasn't. He phoned her house in the middle of the night, he followed her around the school shouting at any male person she spoke to, he even turned up to a family party telling people he was her date. Annie went as far as screaming "Stay away from me! We're finished! Your dumped!" in his face but he didn't stop until her older cousins Conner and Roger and her best friend Kyle had cornered him and told him to leave her alone. It was good timing on their part because she was refusing to leave the house certain he was going to be there, the whole experience really shook her up. It took two months for her to stop feeling like she was being watched all the time and start to relax.

Not wanting to even look at him for longer than was necessary, Annie slipped into the first door she came to and found herself in a small pub with very few customers. It was dark and gloomy and the air was so thick with tension it sent shivers down her spine. She did not like the look of the place but it was warm and if she hadn't been in such a hurry to get away from Blair she never would have found it. In fact she had no recollection of ever noticing this place before; ignoring the looks she got from the other customers she sat herself down next to a door that she took to be the toilets. Setting her little white over the shoulder bag on the table and pretending to rummage through it, just for something to do.

Annie spent a while looking at the other customers, a little woman wearing strange robes was drinking honey coloured liquid at the bar, a scruffy black haired man who kept looking around shiftily and a pair of suspicious looking men who were clearly glaring at her. Shifting slightly under the looks from the other customers, Annie couldn't help but notice the atmosphere in the small place and it was almost hard to breathe because the air felt so heavy. They stared as if she was something they had never seen before and the woman at the bar kept throwing her weird looks, as is she felt sorry for her.

A small bald barman with few teeth didn't even move towards her, as if he was scared to be near her. Flipping her hair over her shoulder she took out her mobile, why were these people staring at her so strangely?

_**Hey, where are you? **_ She texted Kyle, mainly for something to do.

_**In your house, where are you? Your mum wants you to know that Jack Frost is coming on in about an hour if you want to watch it.**_

Kyle and Annie had been best friends since their first day in the Jelly Bean Nursery, well his first day because his mother had slept in and didn't bring him in on the actual first day. Anyway, they had been friends since then so Kyle felt perfectly comfortable in her house. He was mainly round at the holidays because he spent Christmas with them, ever since his mum left anyway.

_**Of course I want to watch Jack Frost! **_Watching films was one of the best parts of Christmas. Especially Jack Frost!

_**Okay. Where are you?**_

_**Some creepy little pub just down from the station. **_

_**Creepy?**_

_**The people keep staring at me funny; if I don't text back I have been murdered and hidden under the floorboards.**_

After sending that text a sudden feeling hit, telling her that she didn't want to be in this place for much longer. The feeling was so string and so sudden that she just sat in shock for a moment before snapping into gear. Throwing a worried look around at the other customers Annie put her hair up in a top knot before starting to get up, the scrapping noise from her chair was cut off and after a loud bashing sound Annie found herself on the ground. The little woman in the corner giggled and downed another glass of honey coloured liquid before getting up to leave, completely ignoring everything else. Gasping from the pain of her knees that had slammed hard into the solid floor Annie turned to glare at the person who knocked her over. He had vivid red hair that was a bit of a mess and quite a few freckles, he wasn't tall but he wasn't short either and he clearly played a sport that allowed him to get those muscles. He looked tired, maybe the stress of Christmas shopping wasn't only getting to her. He was looking down at her with a completely perplexed look on his face.

"Watch it!" Making her voice as annoyed as possible she glared at the rather cute stranger and used the table to pull herself up, of course instead of helping her up, with a loud scraping sound, the table fell over sending the contents of her bag everywhere and almost made her slam back into the hard stone floor. Two hands had grabbed hold of her arms and stopped her second tumble. As she struggled to get back her balance, even though the stranger was the reason she fell in the first place Annie had been brought up with good manners and her mother would be affronted if she knew someone had stopped her from falling and she hadn't said Thank You. Turning her head to say thanks to him she was suddenly struck dumb by a pair or liquid chocolate eyes that had an undeniable mischievous twinkle in them. The words got stuck in her throat as she tried to remember how to breathe properly and fight the fiery red blush that seemed determined to turn her head into a ripe tomato. Thankfully he seemed to drag his eyes upwards and stare at something over her head.

As soon as the eye contact ended Annie realised she had been flat out staring at this stranger and quickly stepped out of this arms, his eyes flashed back to her but she turned round quickly and started searching for her phone. As she was about to crawl under the table in a attempt to find it a hand appeared in front of her nose holding a white touch screen phone with a large crack down the front. A message from Kyle was flashing on the screen but it was impossible to open it.

"Oh no!" Groaning as she took her phone, she paid no attention to the stranger and spent a full two minutes mourning the broken screen. Suddenly someone grabbed her upper arms and pulled her to her feet, gasping a little in surprise and fighting so that for once in her life she could keep her balance. Annie found herself in front of the stranger who kept glancing to some place at the other side of the bar.

"You have your mobeele, use it to get someone to come and get you." He said in an urgent voice as he pushed the phone towards her. He turned to look at her and she could have sworn she saw a spark of fear in the depths of those delicious chocolate brown eyes.

"The screens broke, it won't work." Raising her eyebrows as he mispronounced the word. "Who are you anyway?"

He glanced at her quickly before answering, "I'm Fred. Now I need you to trust me." He said the last part slowly staring right into her eyes. Annie could practically feel her insides melting away and at that time Fred could have asked her to jump of a bridge and she would have seriously considered it.

Annie felt her own green eyes widen as Fred leaned down and grabbed her bag before stuffing it in her arms.

"Get out of here." He said simply.

He gave her a small push towards the door but to his frustration she didn't move. Instead she turned at glared right at him, not looking directly into his eyes encase she be rendered incoherent.

"What do you think you're doing?" She snapped at him with green eyes that flashed with anger. Fred tried to say something but was cut off before he could get a single word out.

"Listen. I have known guys who try to order girls around before and I stopped listening to those guys a long time ago. You have known me less than ten minutes and you think you can tell me what to do? Well you can't!" Annie was reaching out in an attempt to get to the chair behind him when he suddenly bent down and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "If you want to get out of here alive I suggest you do what I said." He whispered sending pleasant shivers down her spine.

"Is that a threat?" Annie breathed trying to sound angry and failing.

"No! It's just- Damn it! Too late!"

Suddenly he grabbed her wrists and practically threw her over the table next to them, just as something exploded above her head. She screamed as she went over and was left lying on the ground gasping in pain as she fell on top of her arm, the full pub was filled with bangs and she could hear the strange barman screaming. She didn't move for a while in shock but had to move quickly as the table she was hiding behind, somehow went flying. Jumping behind another table she let out a scream as the wall behind her half fell in on top of her. Dragging rubble off her legs she tried to think about what the hell was going on. Bombings? Shoot Out? Old fashioned bar fight? No. She had still to see a bar fight where a wall had caved in on its own.

Leaning back against a chair leg in pain as she tried to move her leg, she groaned when she noticed the red stain spreading over her jeans from her thigh.

"This isn't happening. This isn't happening. It's just a bad dream, just a dream."

This would have suited her fine had she not known it was defiantly not a dream. The pain in her arm was mounting and the cut on her leg from where the wall fell on it was now spilling blood on the floor. Annie groaned in pain as she tried to stop the bleeding. All she had wanted was some Christmas presents!

Yells and swearing very close to where she was made Annie glance round the table, Fred was standing in front of it and in front of him was the two men who had been glaring at her earlier, they where all waving things that she couldn't see and blasts of colour where everywhere, as she watched the man who had been looking shifty earlier made a run for the door, only to be hit with something green half way there. He fell like a puppet that had had its strings cut. Annie screamed as the man hit the floor with a dull thud. She should help him but she wasn't a nurse and she could barely move herself. She pushed more of the rubble out the way before crawling back round the table; suddenly the flashes of green light near Fred seemed much closer and burned themselves into the back of her eyelids. Straining to see what was happening and willing Fred not to get hit by whatever kind of gun the other men were carrying, one of the men turned to her.

She should have moved. Ran. Anything but sit and stare at the dark haired leery mouthed man.

"_Crucio!"_ She barely had time to think of what the hell they were talking about when she was set on fire, or that's what it felt like. She could barely hear her own screams over the pain. It was as if her blood was boiling as it shot through her body, tears streamed down her face as she stained to make the pain stop. She kicked and screamed but that seemed to make it worse. She saw everyone, her parents, her sister, Kyle and her friends, all blurring away against her eyelids as more tears leaked out. She thought of all the things she wanted to say but couldn't because in the depths of her mind she could feel the pain pushing her into insanity, could feel her brain wanting to completely shut down against it. In one last ditch attempt she opened her mouth and let out a huge last scream.

It stopped as suddenly as it started and she could hear a faint bang over her own heavy breathing. She rolled onto her side, her small frame shaking with sobs.

"Are you okay?" A voice near her head asked. Did she look like she was okay? Somehow she didn't think so.

"Hey, don't cry. Err ... Why did the blind chicken cross the road? Huh?"

Was he being serious?

"To get to the Birds Eye shop! Get it? Come on that's one of my best ones!"

Annie let out a watery chuckle and after making sure the pain was fully gone she managed to lift herself up shakily, flinching as is the slightest movement would start to again.

"What ... what was ... that?" Trying to control herself as Fred pushed her hair out of her eyes. Gazing into his chocolate ones made her already confused brain even more muddled. He put his arm around her shoulders and she started sobbing on his shoulder, all he could do was make soothing sounds and try to calm her down. Even though she was hysterical she still noticed the trashed bar, tables over turned, drinks were pouring for smashed bottles and barrels, the chair where she had first been sitting was blackened and smoking slightly and the back wall was completely caved in with bricks and rubble scattering across the floor.

"Well, you certainly made a mess of this place."

A watery splutter erupted for her mouth as she stared up at him with widened eyes.

"Me!"

His loud laugh filled the room, looking around he suddenly turned back and stared into her eyes with a serious expression.

"Trust me?"

It wasn't like she had much choice but he was here and he had protected her. She nodded her head slowly and tried to get up again, only to be pulled up by Fred holding her arms. Probably good idea seeing her balance was already abysmal in normal situations and, Annie reminded herself, walking into a bar then witnessing the place being blown up was not normal. He had to keep a hold of her to stop her falling to the ground. A noise made him snap his head around, while Annie snapped her eyes shut and clutched onto Fred's soft jumper almost waiting for the pain to return.

Suddenly Fred was turning away from her; she tightened her grip on his jumper and gasped as the unpleasant sensation of being dragged through a small tube took over her, her lungs were squeezed so tight she couldn't breathe and just when she thought she would suffocate a cold burst of air filled her lungs. Her feet had barely touched the leaf covered ground before she fell forwards hitting the ground hard and gasping for breath, forcing Fred to lift her up and physically carry her over to a fallen tree close by.

A fallen tree? She thought to herself, how the hell did we get here!

Sitting her down gently he put a hand either side of her on the tree and looked straight into her eyes, making her feel unnerved. She had no idea who this guy was or what he was, looking around to see a slightly damp forest floor with tall trees and a creepy fog hanging over it she began to feel more worried. What if this was a bad idea. She just wanted to go home. To watch Jack Frost and throw random sweets at Kyle when he complained that it was a totally unrealistic movie. To get told off for making a mess of the carpet by her mother when she brought them through some hot chocolate and to watch her sister raise one of her perfectly plucked eyebrows when she admitted she didn't have a present for her parents.

Hot tears pooled from her eye.

"Look at me." He said it so softly that her eyes immediately snapped back to his, no matter what her mind said she knew deep down she could trust Fred even if she didn't know him. Which was weird because she wasn't a trusting person? There was something about him, _inside_ him that just screamed

"I'm a good guy!"

"I will have to take you somewhere in a while, but before we go it would be best to get some questions answered. So ask."

He sounded defeated and tired and it was that moment that Annie noticed the large cut on his arm that was bleeding nonstop turning his cream jumper a grizzly red.

"Your arm?" She whispered, reaching for it but he moved it out of her reach, looking surprised.

"That was not what I expected you to ask. Its fine anyway my mum will fix it in a second."

Annie's eyebrows pulled together, it was a rather deep cut and no way would it be fixed in a second but she had other things on her mind.

The question was already ready in her mind and she blurted it out without thinking.

"What are you?" His low chuckle made her suspect he was expecting that.

"I'm Fred Weasley, eighteen years old with-"

"Not _who_ are you. _What_ are you?" he flashed a small smile that was almost apologetic.

"I am a wizard."

Annie's curls bounced a little as she nodded slowly, to which Fred raised an eyebrow.

"You took that better than expected."

"Of course you're a wizard. In fact I'm a fairy princess in hiding." Her world was numb, she couldn't think straight. All she knew was he was lying, just telling another joke. Right?

"Okaaaaaaay?" He looked worried and freaked at the same time.

Ignoring him, a new question popped into her head.

"Why where those guys fighting you?"

He looked a little uncomfortable when he answered. Putting a hand to her forehead to see if she had a temperature.

"Well ... It was because of you."

"Me?" Who would fight over me? My only boyfriend turned out to be a nutcase.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"There are some bad wizards out there as well as good, one of them is gaining power every day and he has a total hatred for muggles. He wants them all dead, thinks wizards should rule the world." He finished with a snort but his eyes never moved from Annie's as she thought this over she asked another question.

"What's a muggle?"

"A person who isn't a wizard."

"Oh. Of course. That makes sense" she whispered almost to herself

Fred moved to sit next to her and put an arm around her only to raise his eyebrows when she winced.

"What's wrong?" She blinked a little at the concern in his voice but he ignored it.

"I hurt my side when I went over that table."

His face went hard and he got up, picking her up in his arms and ignoring her complaints.

"I just need to rest for a bit!"

"Sorry. You need to see my mother so she can check you over."

He nearly dropped her as she burst out laughing. Tear ran from her eyes as she whooped with laughter, a crazed look in her face.

"Wizards! Muggles! It's so weird. Hahahahahahaha! Your names not really Fred is it? Nope it's Merlin!"

She gave a cry of laughter but the tears leaking from her eyes were no longer happy,

"You're lying ... Right?" She felt like her whole world was depending on this one answer.

"Nope and I am not Merlin! It is actually Fred." He frowned down at her big scared eyes.

"Don't leave me ..." She whispered so low he had to strain to hear it, he bent his head down and whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "Don't worry we don't bite, although Crookshanks is a bad tempered little idiot."

He smiled down at her just as another thought popped into her head.

"My name is Annie. Thanks for asking."

"Well Annie, lucky for you my mum has a potion for shock." He muttered under his breath.

He turned on the spot and in a second all that was left was the last echoes of his laughter.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N ~ this is a really short chapter and it is just a filler :) Reviews are much appreciated. The next chapter should be up in a few days, I did try and keep them together but it didn't work so I wrote them separately.**

**I don't own anything.**

Molly Weasley hated Christmas.

She could remember being a small girl and getting a piece of fruit and a knut for Christmas, sometimes she got a little doll with blonde curled hair and pure pink lips and baby blue eyes. She appreciated these presents no end and looked after her different dolls with unending gentleness and care. She could remember saving her galleons and buying sheets of fabric in all different colours, she would then use the fabric to make dresses robes and such for her dolls. Her speciality was making jumpers with thick strong wool to keep them warm in the winter months, while they waited on their new sister doll. Her favourite doll was given to her when she was just seven years old; it had long red curls that shone in the light and striking green eyes with lips a pale pearly pink. It had been Molly's dream to present that dolly to Ginny but unfortunately Ginny had no time for dolls at all so Molly decided to wait and give the doll to her granddaughter. But Christmas had changed, now children demanded lots of different toys and money that got broken and spent before the new year, children got so much that most of them don't know how to be grateful. If you get children lots of presents every year and then one year you get them something small but meaningful, chances are that the child wouldn't care as much as they should do. When she had Bill everything had been fine, Arthur had his job and they even got him a toy broomstick for his first Christmas, Charlie came next and although they had to cut down of some luxuries they still coped and loved to two boys whole heartedly. Percy was the breaking point, he wanted all different books and clothes because he cared what everyone else thought and it turned out he was ashamed to have grown up in their family. They spent so much on Percy, just trying to keep him happy, that the twins and Ron went without a lot of things they had hand me down pets, robes, brooms, books and even wands.

Molly Weasley's hand tightened on the large wooden spoon she was stirring the steaming soup with, Percy hadn't spoken to them for a year and this was going to be another Percyless Christmas. Oh how she wished that she could have given him everything, she would have bought him every book and sold all her personal belongings so she could give him money, she would do anything to have her son back. The fact one of her own children had disowned her made her deeply ashamed, she wasn't sure if it was in herself for not having enough money to keep him happy or in Percy himself.

"If Percy has been ashamed of his family just because how much they are worth then it shows that he is worth little himself. Percy is a great boy but he cares what people think, he likes to act intelligent but by leaving your house he showed a great naiveness. Lots of people have money, the Malfoys for example, but even Draco Malfoy would give away all that money just for a loving home where his father paid attention to him and loved him more that the Dark Lord. Your family is the most loving and caring one I have had the pleasure to meet and Percy was foolish to leave, he will realise what he done in time. These are dark times, money and nice clothes can't help you know, Percy will come back for forgiveness and you will forgive him, I am not sure yet if you're easy forgiveness is something to be admired or cautioned."

Albus Dumbledore's voice slipped through her water like water, calming her thoughts and easing her pain. He was right, of course, Percy would come back and everyone will welcome him with open arms.

Molly Weasley sighed loudly as the pictures of her husband's and her four youngest children's faces appeared in her mind. Arthur, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny would not find it easy to forgive him but Molly would make them forgive him because she wanted her full family together because they needed each other to help them through this war.

The war. It was haunting her. She couldn't sleep for thinking about it and she wasn't eating as much as she should. In fact, thinking of the war had put her right of the soup in front of her, luckily it wasn't for her. George was ill and had to take time off work so Molly insisted that he stay with them at the Burrow until he was fit again. It made her feel like she was still needed and she was giving George her total concentration and affection. Not that he was grateful. He was constantly whining to be taken to the shop where Fred was working extra long hours.

The bang of the front door notified her of Fred arriving home.

"Bloody hell!"

"Ronald Weasley don't let me hear that language again!" Molly snapped as her youngest sons loud voice carried through from the living room.

"MUM!" Fred's impatient voice nearly made her drop the bowl that she was pouring soup into and very nearly scalding her hands. Grumbling under her breath at the impatience of her son, Molly Weasley kicked open the kitchen door and entered the living room prepared to give a lecture they would never forget.

SMASH!

"What in Merlin's name is going on in here?" George Weasley entered the living room, his nose running and a blanket draped over his red striped pyjamas, to see his mother standing still in the doorway, a bowl of hot onion soup smashed on the floor at her feet.

Molly Weasley ignored the fact her ill son had gotten out of bed because she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her son ... Fred and a girl wearing a Christmas jumper and quite clearly unconscious, both of them bleeding from some wound or another.

"Bloody hell ..."

Fred gently lay the blonde haired girl on the faded red couch, pausing to brush a stray curl back of her forehead, before turning wide eyed to him mother.

"Mum, you have to help her. She was in the Leaky Cauldron! She fainted when we apperated back here. Mum? ... Mum! She needs help!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n Thanks for the reviews, I love knowing that people are actually reading my stories. This chapter was rushed because I am really excited about the next few chapters. I'm sorry if you don't like it but I hope the next few will make up for that.**

The old floorboards under Fred's feet creaked as he paced back and forth across them. The door to Percy's old room was firmly closed next to him and even few minutes Fred would throw a scared and helpless look at the door before continuing on his way. George sat on the stairs which led up to Ron's room and they could faintly here Harry and Ron talking above their heads. They had been sat there for about an hour, George sniffing and Fred pacing while right through the door Molly Weasley was trying to heal a still unconscious Annie.

"You're going to wear down those floorboards if you keep going." George said quietly. He sneezed which made him miss the glare his twin shot at him. Not only did Fred not give a stuff about the floorboards he was feeling confused and really worried.

Fred didn't understand what he felt. It was like his brain was disconnected from his body and his thoughts where completely muddled, he had felt this way for some time, ever since he entered the Leaky Cauldron. He had been on the way home from work, and had to talk to George, so he didn't think when he threw open the door into the pub, no one ever sits in the seats next to the door anyway. He new she was a muggle before she even hit the floor but he was more interested in her hair, it was clearly natural blonde but it had gold and silver flashes in it that made it shimmer. When she turned to him her face was pale, making those blazing green eyes stand out all the more. Her eyes where darker than Harry's and even more beautiful.

Not that Fred had been having gay thought about Harry's eyes, he left that to Ron and Ginny, but they were hard to miss sometimes.

Mrs Weasley had been in that room with the unconscious Annie for quite a while and with every passing minute Fred got more frustrated and impatient.

"Come on mate, this isn't healthy." George was pulling on his arm but Fred stood firm, resulting in his twin giving him a raised eyebrow and saying,

"You aren't helping standing around out here and hearing about Ronald's love troubles are just what you need to cheer up." Reluctantly Fred allowed himself to be dragged upstairs to his younger brother's room where he ignored everything else and collapsed on the camp bed, sighing before he started to examine his newly healed arm. He had been right Molly Weasley had healed it in two seconds flat but she wasn't paying much attention so he could have a scare of something.

It looked as good as ever, all his muscles where still there at least.

"FRED!" A voice right by his ear shouted making his jump so high he nearly fell off the bed. Ron whooped with laughter while Harry and George sniggered,

"When you have finished checking yourself out, I believe our little Ronniekins needs our unmatched expertise with the ladies." George said with a wicked smile at his younger brother who stopped laughing at once.

"I don't need any help! Me and Hermione are just fine thanks." He crossed his arms and glared at his brothers and best friend who were staring at him like he had lost his mind.

"Err ... Ron? It's Lavender, not Hermione." Harry said it slowly like he was talking to a very small child. The room was silent for a moment, as Ron bypassed red and turned burgundy, and then the room exploded with laughter and George and Harry clutched their sides. Fred laughter came last and finished first as his thoughts had already began to travel back down the stairs. Although he didn't know why Ron didn't just ask out Hermione, he was such a wimp.

"That right there is why you are a relationship failure. That girl must either be really stupid-"

"Or extremely boring," Fred chimed in half heartedly.

"To stay with you with you this long." George finished.

"So tell us Harry, which is it?" Fred said getting off the camp bed and nudging Harry in the ribs "Is she stupid, boring, mentally ill, deaf or just plain blind,"

"It has to be one," George said as Harry shook his head and laughed "Why else would she be with Ron?"

Ronald chucked his pillow at George, the pillow missed and hit the empty toad tank sending it off the shelf and landing on the floor with a smash. George laughed and Ron cursed as he jumped of the bed and rushed at his brother shouting,

"Repair it you complete utter-"

"That's why you should throw pillows at people Ron."

"- If you don't I'll ... I'll-"

"You'll what, bite our kneecaps?" Fred suggested as his brother turned red faced and angry towards him.

"I'll tell mum that you are the ones who made the hole in the fence to let the gnomes back in, not dad and I'll tell her Percy didn't take her special cleaning potions when he left but you guys took them to sell as limited edition stock in the shop!"

"You wouldn't dare." George narrowed his eyes at his little brother.

"Try me." Ron smirked.

"YOU LITTLE DISGUSTING SNITCH! I'M GOING TO TEACH YOU A LESSON!"

George lunged at Ron who fell back against the wall, ripping the Chudley Cannons poster in two. They fell to the floor with a loud bang and probably would have kept going if not for the voice that screamed up the stairs.

"YOU BOYS BETTER STOP WHAT IT IS YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW! IF YOU DONT I'LL TELL YOUR FATHER THAT YOU ARE NOT ALOUD TO GET ANY CHRISTMAS PRESENTS THIS YEAR!" As their mothers voice finished a door slammed and there was silence. George released Ron from the headlock and started to sneeze while Ron went straight to the remains of his poster and looked like he wanted to cry.

"It's not funny Harry!" He snapped at his best friend who was rolling around with silent laughed. George cursed at the other side of the room having stepped or a shard of glass from the broken tank, he noticed the smug look on his brother's face and muttered "You wait baby bro, mum has to leave the house sometime and when she does I'll be waiting."

Fred laughed along before dumping himself back on the camp bed and practically putting his ear to the floor to hear in the room below.

"So Fred?" Ron's voice asked with ever air of wanting the subject to be based on anything besides his love life.

"What?" If he listened close he could swear he heard movement.

"What the hell happened to you tonight?"

Ron groaned as George elbowed him in the gut, "What? You had to know I would ask!"

Fred turned to see Harry had stopped laughing, Ron was watching him from where he sat on the floor and even George seemed interested. Fred groaned in irritation and might have thrown a pillow at the three of them if he had not just seen the damage a single pillow could do. So he contented himself by glaring at the ceiling and giving them as little detail as possible because he knew it would annoy them and he couldn't be bothered telling the full version

"She is a muggle. She was in the Leaky Caldron. There was a fight and know she is downstairs." He sighed as he lay back down.

"What I don't get is, you did magic in front of her and apparated with her but the ministry hasn't got in touch. What about the statue of secrecy?" Harry asked in a very confused voice.

"With all the Death Eater Attacks I think that Statue Of Secrecy has gone out the window."

The room was silent as a sombre atmosphere settled around them, each lost in their own thought about the war. The quiet moment didn't last long however, because they were joined by a tired looking Mrs Weasley who said with Annie still unconscious they should go to bed at that George shouldn't even be out of bed.

"But mum I'm fine!" His protest was ruined however by the big hacking coughs that took over him and by the time they subsided he was being ushered out the room by his irritated mother.

Fred didn't even fall asleep so two hours later, when Georges soft snores filled the room and the house was in total darkness, Molly Weasley didn't need to shake her son awake to come down to the kitchen.

"What is it? Is it Annie? Is she okay? Is she awake?"

She ignored his worried questions and told him that there was somebody was here to see him. As Fred descended the stairs he could feel he was in trouble, he had been in trouble so many times before he had gained a sixth sense for when it was coming, but this time was different because he was on his own and it felt strange without George by his side. When there where together they could usually come up with either a solid alibi or, if they wanted credit for what they done, the anger was directed at both of them making it easier to deal with.

The kitchen light was on, illuminating the five figures underneath so they could be seen clearly. Remus Lupin was looking as shabby as ever sitting at the table; his hair had gained a lot more grey since the death of his best friend. Mad Eye Moody stood leaning on his cane with his magical eye staring through the ceiling at something no one could see. Fred's father was sitting across from Remus with a chipped mug in his hands looking tired. Kingsley Shacklebolt leaned against the sink fiddling with his earring and Albus Dumbledore wearing a striking lemon coloured hat that clashed with his lime green robes was looking quietly amused in the centre of the room. When they realised Fred was standing there they said nothing for a moment and Fred waited on the ear bashing that was inevitably coming his way.

"Well Fred, we are here to talk about your actions yesterday." Dumbledore's blue eyes pierced him and Fred looked at the ground.

"This couldn't have waited until the morning? My day hasn't exactly been calm." He tried to address his father because, even though he wasn't a student anymore, it took a lot of energy to be sarcastic and cheeky to Dumbledore. He had been cheeky to him before, of course, when he and George got sent to the study they would try to be respectfully cheeky, not an easy task, so each word had to be planned and evaluated beforehand. Not only was Fred alone he had a feeling that doing magic in front of a muggle and bringing them back to the Headquarters of The Order was a bit worse that pranking a few Slytherins.

"Your mother felt this talk couldn't wait and it's not like we had somewhere better to be at three in the morning." Remus said quietly. Fred liked Remus, he had taught him and George some old stuff by the Marauders and even gave them the notebook they used to plan pranks and make up spells. Of course Fred and George had to promise not to tell their mother.

"Yeah, who needs sleep?" Kingsley muttered.

"He has to learn not to do it again! He could have been killed and he had no idea who that girl was-!"

"Mum! She was clearly a muggle." Fred snapped cutting off his angry mother before she got into her stride, you had to do that or she would go on for hours.

"Don't talk to your mother like that." Arthur said weakly, since the twins had moved out and got more independent they where even harder to control. This made life hard, especially on Molly because she felt like they were pulling away from her, so it became that the more independent they got they tighter she held on. Fred was sure that there was a potion which could make George better in a second but Molly refused to let him take anything.

"What is his punishment? I'll support the Orders views. Close down the shop? Take away his wand? Banishment from the Order? All three?" Molly Weasley looked crazed as she listed off punishments that, in her mind, her son deserved and also a little hopeful.

"Those are good ideas-"

"You can't do that!" Fred shouted angrily turning on his mother who looked downright ecstatic.

"- If he had done anything wrong."

Fred whirled back to look at Dumbledore who looked almost proud. There was no mistaking the pride on his own fathers face as he smiled, although his smiled disappeared when he caught sight of his wife who was so angry she couldn't find anything to say.

"In my opinion the boy should get and Order of Merlin 3rd class." Moody grunted. Magical eye still on the ceiling "You did a good job healing that girl Molly, she seems alright. It's probably the shock that's keeping her asleep."

Mrs Weasley looked furiously around the room but before she could speak Kingsley nodded his head.

"It was very brave of you, not that we thought you weren't brave already. This family is full of true Gryffindors and you proved that yesterday."

"Molly, think about it." Remus said to the woman who looked ready to explode "He saved that girl today, put his life on the line to help a muggle girl that he didn't even know. Isn't that what we want? What we are fighting for?"

Fred held his breath, ready for his mother to explode and scream at everyone in the room. He even held his wand a little tighter encase she decided to snap it herself. But Molly just looked around the room with fire blazing in her eyes and when her eyes stopped on Fred she suddenly burst into tears. Expression ranged from worried, to shock to downright terrified as Molly Weasley buried her face in her hands and sobbed

Fred had been speechless and he still couldn't find anything to say but Dumbledore got up as if to leave and Fred realised he didn't have to say anything.

"They are all going to die! They're going to die and I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!"

With a wail of despair she turned and run up the stairs, probably waking up the full house in the process, and was followed by her shocked looking husband.

"Well Fred. We will see you at the next meeting. We must go know as Minerva gets angry if I don't get my ten hours sleep."

Dumbledore was pulling on his travelling cloak and Kingsley was already heading for the door. Remus shook Fred's hand and smiled.

"Go easy on your mother. She just can't stand the thought of you getting hurt."

Fred was about to say that it was a war and she should know he was likely to get hurt when he was cut off by the huge yawn that came over him. He hadn't been able to sleep before but he could barely keep his eyes open now so he just nodded to Remus and rubbed his eyes.

Moody cursed, "Albus you may want to take your travelling cloak back off." Fred felt like ice water had been tipped over his head as he turned to the ex auror. The sleepy atmosphere turned tense in that split second and it lay heavily on the room.

As everyone in the room turned towards him, Moody cursed again but it was almost drowned out by a noise from upstairs. A long and terrified scream filled the house and Fred, almost without realising it, ran up the stairs towards it. It wasn't his mother or Ginny but it was defiantly a girl, which meant...

When he reached Percy's room Ron, Harry and George where already coming down the stairs but he shoved them back so he would get to the door first, he flung the door open so fast it hit against the wall and some plaster broke off. His wand was in his hand as he pointed it at every corner in the room trying to find the threat. He could feel rather than see his brothers and Harry doing the same thing.

Percy's room was blue with lots of books strewn all over the place and the wall covered in test papers, all framed, with O's in the top corners. Any other time Fred would have laughed at the big headedness of his brother but he had more serious thing do concentrate on.

The small bed in the middle of the room had blood on it; the quilt was lying on the floor next to the bed in a heap and in the far corner of the room Annie was pressed against the wall, eyes wide with fear and large tears streaming down her face. Fred's breath caught as he saw the terrified expression on her face and the way her eyes darted around the room, like an animal in a cage, trying to find a way out.

"What do you want? WHAT DO YOU WANT?" She screamed before sobbing loudly and gasping for breath. She was still in her clothes from the attack, her jeans where bloody and ripped with grey dust all over them and her red jumper was ripped and dusty.

"Annie? Annie, its Fred. Remember me? Your safe here, nothing is going to happen to you." He said quickly, lowering his wand and taking a step towards her. He stopped to turn and glare at the crowd by the door, which hastily lowered their wands. Fred wasn't good with emotions, especially crying, but the girl in front of him was practically distraught so he took a step closer to her and called her name again.

Fred doubted she could hear him as she slid down the wall to the floor. Fred kneeled down in front of her, he made to put a hand on her shoulder but she shied away from him so he pulled his had back, feeling a little hurt.

"Annie." He said loudly "Are you hurt? Answer me, Annie. Are you hurt?"

She shook her head but continued sobbing.

"Do you remember me Annie?"

She nodded her head.

This time when he reached out she didn't move away, she turned and started sobbing into his pyjama top. Fred looked over her head to see everyone trying to see into the room. As Annie continued to cry he awkwardly patted her head, making a layer of dust fall to the floor that had got in her hair when the wall fell in. He saw George sighing and Ron mutter "Yeah you guys are great with the ladies." To which George gave him an elbow to the gut and shut him up.

"I think it might be best if I explain to Annie what is going on. After all I have the experience, I have to tell muggleborns about it when they are eleven years old."

Fred looked up to see Dumbledore enter the room and firmly shut the door behind him. Fred and Annie where still crouched in the corner of the room and she showed no sign of moving soon so Fred picked her up and placed her on the bed.

Dumbledore looked her up and down before sighing and beginning what Fred supposed would be a very long speech.


	4. Chapter 4

"So you understand Annie that after all you have heard tonight we can make you forget. If you wish then you can go on as normal with your family ..."

The pale girl on the bed looked hopeful at his words but Albus Dumbledore was not finished. The young girl had to know the full impact of her decisions before she made a choice.

"You'll forget everything Annie. Everything you have learned and everyone you have met." He watched as her clear green eyes moved over the young man beside her. Fred Weasley's soft snores had been filling the room for a few hours but even sleeping he had not let go of the girls hand and as Albus watched the things he told her sink in he was acutely aware of how much comfort she took from Fred being close.

It was strange how much she trusted him, how he was such a comfort to her and they had only just met in the worst circumstances. Love was powerful, the most powerful, but did he actually believe in love at first sight? Soulmates?

"I can't just go home? I won't tell a soul about what happened. I promise!" Her eyes had turned pleading but Dumbledore shook his head sadly, she was persistent however and it came down to a battle of wills, piercing blue eyes against clear and powerful green. He wished it could be the way she wanted but it was obviously impossible.

"Annie, your family would be in danger if you knew. But you should know that you going home at all also puts them in danger. They have seen you and you got away, you are in their sights."

As he said it he noticed her eyes go back to Fred and she gave a sigh. Pushing a curl behind her ear, her hand found a bit of gravel and she looked down at herself, bloody, bruised and dusty.

"You have been told alot tonight. I suggest you take time to think about everything. The Wealseys are a wonderful family and Molly a simply marvellous cook so I should think you will be comfortable here." She glanced at Fred again before biting her lip and asking

"So does this mean that everything is real? Dragons? Werewolfs? Vampires? Fairy Godmothers?"

The old wizard gave a chuckle before starting for the door. "If I had to answer all your questions then we would be here for days but I suggest you take a look at some of Fred's old school books for answers, Fred and his brother are very careful with those books infact you may find some that look like they have never been used."

She had also gave him a lot to think about. Was love more powerful than even he had dreamed, could it connect two people so perfectly that no small talk was needed? Surely not and after all the way they met had been extraordinary so maybe that has something to do with it. Although maybe he was jumping to conclusions, seeing love everywhere to try and make the world look better in his own eyes and not as bleak as it really was, with young girls getting pulled into a fight that was not there own. Whatever was happening he had never seen it before.

With a small wink the old man was gone, leaving Annie to her thoughts. She watched the rising sun cast shadows on Fred's face, watched as his chest first rose then fell with his steady breathing. she tried to picture his eyes but however she imagined them seemed wrong, the wrong colour or the wrong sparkle. She tried to picture not meeting him, she would be dead, she tried to picture forgetting him which seemed impossible. Her life had been upheaved and know she didn't know what to believe but would she change it? How could she be so attached to Fred already, be so much under his spell? The first thing he said to her had been 'trust me' and she did trust him and that scared her.

She had no clue who he was and yet she felt like, as long as he was around then things would be okay. What about her family? What about jake? They would be worried and might even think she was dead, her last text to Jake told him that she was in a creepy bar. He would be out of his mind, people had often suggested something between them and Annie had always thought that maybe...

She had lost all sense of her life in just a day, she could not imagine her and Jake together, raising children behind the white picket fence. it just wouldn't be right when their was such a huge world that she didn't know about. Dumbledore said she could go back but she would forget everything and she would also put her family in danger.

After a much needed deep breath, Annie took a second for herself. Magic exists! She had seen it. Dumbledore had shown her and it was all real! They could do amazing things, cure cancer, stop war!

Annie reached out and touched Fred's arm, the cut was gone, she smiled as she remembered how that had sounded when he said it didn't matter, back when she didn't know. Her own injuries where also gone although she was still covered in blood and dust, not to mention her ripped clothes. She needed to change.

Someone had sat a set of light blue pyjamas on a chair in the corner, they looked like girls so she could only assume they had been left for her. She pulled them on, keeping an eye on Fred to make sure he stayed asleep when she changed she also noticed that there was no blood on her skin, just her clothes, someone must have used a spell to clean the blood away from her skin. She tried to not let that thought freak her out, there was a brush on the bedside table so she brushed her hair. The pyjamas smelled comfortingly familiar and it was a second before she realised they smelled like Fred, she threw him another glance but he was dead to the world, it was getting strange how much he made her feel better.

Annie was surprised by how much she wanted to make a good impression on the people she was staying with, Fred's family...

She wasn't stupid. She knew Fred risked his life saving her and that she didn't make the job an easy one, having their son turn up with an uncouncious girl that needed healing and a place to stay couldn't have been pleasant.

Deciding to let Fred sleep, even though she wished he wouldn't, it would look silly hiding behind him and anyway from the way she was screaming the night before they probably thought she was a weak little idiot. Stealing herself she left the room. Annie looked up and down the rickety staircase, she could hear the murmur of people talking downstairs but upstairs it was silent.

That means everyone is going to be there when you walk down, Annie told herself, it gets it out the way if you meet everyone at once.

Even so, Annie wished she could meet people slowly with Fred doing the introductions with little need for her to say or do anything. when she was younger she was crazily shy, not talking to anybody new or different, she would stand in the corner holding Mia, a cuddly cat toy who she took everywhere, she had ginger hair and a pink nose and big grey eyes and was one of the reasons Annie had always wanted a cat. Childishly wishing she could clutch Mia now she walked down the staircase slowly and started to make out what the voices where saying.

"... Ginny looked beautiful in the gold dress I picked!"

"Bloody hell! Ginny in a dress!"

"Ronald! What have I told you about your language."

"Yeah Won Won! No one cares what you have to say!"

"Ginny!"

"Mum can I have more sausages?"

"No George! I am just about to take them upstairs to-"

Annie decided that it was time to bite the bullet and show herself but the room sounded so busy that she just wanted to break down in tears, her stomach was clenched and she felt sick, all she wanted was to run back up to the room with Fred but this was Fred's family so they couldn't be that bad ...

She stepped into the room with her head held high, unfortunately there was a large pile of books with an odd looking clock balanced on top directly round the corner which Annie walked right into. As the clock fell she gave a little shriek and jumped backwards into a big wooden cabinet and was horrified as the room filled with the sounds of breaking glass from inside the cabinet. As she hurried away from the cabinet she almost stood on a little pink ball of fur which gave a shriek and launched itself through the air towards a red hair girl while Annie got the fright of her life and while trying to avoid stepping on the pink thing lost her footing and collapsed to the ground.

Annie looked up to see a number of heads turned towards her with expressions ranging from shock to complete laughter. She could feel herself going completely red as she tried to stutter out an apology, she noticed the clock on the floor and some kind of purple liquid seeping out from inside the cabinets. This is wrong. That was not meant to happen. Oh god what must they think of her?

"I am so sorry! Oh my god. I didn't mean to! I didn't know it was there and that cabinet was there either and I didn't know that fluff was alive in your world, I swear! Oh my god! I am so sorry."

Suddenly, just as she was about to burst into tears, a pair of hands grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet. Annie felt as though she had never been as happy to see a pair of eyes, more specifically a pair of chocolate brown eyes, in her life. Fred looked around, ran a hand through his bed head hair and then gave Annie a small smile.

"Well everyone! This is Annie"


End file.
